


Love at First Sight (sort of)

by HolleringHawk65



Series: Batjokes Week 2015 [3]
Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - No Capes, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, yet at least
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-11
Updated: 2015-08-11
Packaged: 2018-04-14 04:48:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4551078
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolleringHawk65/pseuds/HolleringHawk65
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Day 3: Love at First Sight</p><p>Joey is a new student at Gotham Academy. Bruce is the socially awkward center of attention.</p><p>Add in a pushy Tim who just wants the best for his friend and Harley throwing a party, nothing could go wrong... right?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Love at First Sight (sort of)

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't do this story justice. I'll probably end up continuing it after Batjokes week if anyone wants me to!

"Soul mates?" Joey repeats. "You can't be serious."

"Course I am! Tim is mine, Jason is Roy's, Barbara and Kara..." Dick shrugged. "You seriously don't believe in them?"

He had heard him of them, obviously, heard that everyone born near the new millennium had one, but he had yet to meet his.

...Obviously, this was not the problem for most of the other people in Gotham.

(He could already tell that it was going to suck to be the new kid.)

"I mean, I guess I do, it just seems like something you read about in fairy tales. How do you even know when you meet them?"

"Other than the fact that you find yourself adoring someone more than you would a celebrity, one of you gets a searing hot pain somewhere because the other's first words appear on your skin, typically in symbolic colors."

"What are yours?"

Dick smiled. "Hi Richard, er, Dick. I'm a big fan of yours! By the way, I'm your new tutor." His voice rose a little as he said them, apparently trying to imitate a younger Tim. He pushed his left sleeve up, revealing black outlined yellow letters, surrounded by red roses and green thorns.

"Wow. Was it painful?"

"Well, yeah but it's-"

"Dick."

Behind him, a shadow had appeared--until Joey realized that the guy was just wearing a lot of black. After a minute of looking to him and trying not to stare, Joey had seen the most captivating blue eyes he thought that he'd ever seen.

Dick's shoulders sagged before he turned around. "Bruce! This is the new student, Joey." He looked over to him, "Joey, this is Bruce Wayne."

At sixteen, Bruce was on half of the local tabloids and a boatload of the ones outside of Gotham. If Joey had seen him in a better light, he probably would have recognized him right away.

Before either could say anything, the bell rang. Dick grabbed Joey's arm and started guiding him to their next class.

* * *

 

Even in the dreary halls of Gotham Academy, Bruce could see the shock of green hair next to Dick. He was shorter than him, which was a bit of a feat, and he had purple converses on.

Bruce would have talked to him directly, would have asked him how he was liking the academy so far, but then Dick shot off down the hallway, dragging Joey with him.

He sighed and headed off towards his next class.

All throughout the next hour and a half, he was thinking about Joey. Wondered what it would be like to run his hands through his green hair, if it would feel different because of dye.

Tim noticed his distraction and beelined over to him when everyone partnered up. "Are you alright?"

Bruce looked over at him. "I'm fine just..." he shrugged. "Have you met the new kid? I'm getting a weird vibe from him."

"Joey? He's a little quirky but he seems alright."

Bruce wanted to point out that 'just alright doesn't mean that he can be...' He flexed his hands. Dick was one of his best friends, since the two had known each other for over half their lives, and usually he was even more protective of him than Tim was--which is saying something--but somehow, he just... Wasn't.

"Oh," is what he manages to say after a moment.

* * *

 

"Do you not like Bruce?" Joey asked Dick when they were in the classroom.

He laughed. "Bruce is easily one of my best friends. Just, trust me on this."

"Oh-kay," he drawled before taking a seat next to Dick and getting prepared for the next hour and a half to pass by like molasses.

* * *

 

"I can almost guarantee that he won't bite," Tim told Bruce as they walked were walking in the cafeteria towards the table where their friends, including Dick and Joey, were sitting. "Just talk to him."

Bruce nodded. Tim was one of the few people who knew about his social awkwardness and was also one of the few people who tried to push him out of his shell--probably because he wouldn't do it himself, but that's beside the point.

Joey looked up when Bruce sat next to him. There were plenty of other seats still open, but he didn’t say anything about it, just continued to push the lettuce in his salad around.

After a minute of silence between the two of them, Tim stomped on Bruce’s foot, causing him to jerk and glare at the other. If he noticed, Joey didn’t say anything.

”Just do it,” Tim mouthed.

Just then, a blonde slung her arm around Joey. “Puddin’! Since when did you come here?”

He stood up. “Harley! Today’s my first day.”

She laughed before pulling him away. “I just have to introduce you to my friends!” She waved at Bruce and Tim before winking, “Ciao!”

* * *

 

Similar events kept happening whenever Bruce tried to talk him for days. They even had three classes together every other day and somehow Bruce had managed not to talk to him. It was embarrassing but at the same time, all Tim could do was sigh because of how characteristically _Bruce_ it was .

Tim saw the _golden_ opportunity for Bruce to talk to Joey when Harley announced she was throwing a party for her previously long distance best friend.

”We’re going,” he told Bruce, hands on his hips. “And you are going to grow a pair and talk to him.”

* * *

 

Harley could easily be defined as someone who is a part of the geeky and outsider-y clique. Her best friend (and soul mate!) was Pamela Isley, a girl who was known to be part of pro-environment groups and had protested outside of Wayne Enterprises more than once. Her other best friend was Selina Kyle, a gymnast who wore a lot of leather ( _and_ just happened to be one of Bruce’s exes).

She was also known to hang around Edward Nygma, who was a genius who basically spoke in riddles, and Oswald Cobblepot, another rich kid who walked funny but was really the leader of the group and kept them together.

Despite it all, you really couldn’t go to Gotham Academy and _not_ know who Harley Quinn was. Even though she was more than a little weird, a lot of people went to her parties, so it wasn’t too odd for Bruce and Tim to show up, even with a few of their friends.

”If you don’t talk to him, I will personally shove you into him so you have to apologize,” Tim told Bruce. There wasn’t really much of a question to know if he was joking or not.

Bruce nodded and started to scan the crowds for Joey. It really shouldn’t be that hard to find him, considering the green hair…

The two jumped when Harley stood up on a table next to them and talked into her megaphone. “Let’s be stereotypical teenagers and play Seven Minutes in Heaven!”

Bruce and Tim exchanged looks. Tim could easily be excused, considering _everyone_ knew that he and Dick were an item, but Bruce…

Harley jumped down and grabbed his hand. “C’mon playboy, let’s play!”

* * *

 

Joey groaned. Of all the things he begged Harley _not_ to do, she goes and does it. He might as well embrace the idea…

* * *

 

Bruce had no idea that there was this many rooms in Harley’s house. He also had had no idea that Selina was still quite mad at him as she shoved him into a room. He landed against someone, instantly apologizing.

There was utter silence. Maybe there wasn’t anyone there?...

But a second later, fingers were weaving through his hair, lips were against his… His hands settled on slim, bony, hips. The other boy--he assumed, at least--sucked on his lip as his hands went down Bruce’s neck. They were cold, sending shivers down his spine as he pulled the other closer, his own hands running up a bony back. Just underneath the shoulder blades, his skin was searing hot underneath Bruce’s hands and touching the area shocked him.

The other boy whined into Bruce’s mouth, pulling away and shaking underneath his hands.

”I really didn’t believe Dick,” he whispered. “Because, who believes in soulmates? I never did before, and then I saw you.”

The lights didn’t have to be turned on for Bruce to know that it was Joey talking. He stumbled back onto a bed, pulling the green-haired boy with him.

Joey was shaking, maybe even crying. Bruce didn’t know what else to do except to run his fingers through green hair and whisper sweet nothings to him.

* * *

 

When Bruce had apologized for walking into him, he had said “I’m sorry, I don’t do this kind of thing often--running around in the dark, that is.”

As Joey stared at the setup of mirrors, he swallowed and tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

Across his back in black, yellow, and purple (like a bruise, but too bright, too permanent) was “I’m so sorry that I failed you.”


End file.
